Willie Parker to visit Rams

[Judaxi]

I think alot of people are thinking of Fast Willie Parker when they look at this signing, but youre missing that the reason he lost his job and no one wants him is because he's not so fast anymore. In which case he is just Willie Parker with no special abilities. I'll pass.

[thickandthin]

I think he will be a better backup than what we have now. That's about it.

[C-Mob 71]

Yeah none of the guys are Marshall Faulk, since Faulk had 36 career fumbles

Man I always remembered Marshall as never, ever fumbling, thanks for clouding up my memories!

Also thanks for reinforcing my point too

[sosa39rams]

Whats wrong with Chris Ogbonnaya? He showed some potential before the season ended.

I wouldn't mind Willie. Hes a nice backup, and change of pace for SJAX. Also saves us a pick.

[tomahawk247]

Man I always remembered Marshall as never, ever fumbling, thanks for clouding up my memories!

Also thanks for reinforcing my point too

Yeah i dont remember him fumbling much. Although that number is his total fumbles, not fumbles lost. Also, he only had like three or so fumbles a season, it just added up over his career

But yeah, every back fumbles. You just dont want them fumbling all the time or at key points in the game

[Nick]

Hes a vet. FA, which is what we need behind SJ imo.

Why is that? I think Steven Jackson is probably beyond the point in his career where he needs a veteran presence behind him up.

Could be a short term fix, but I'd rather just draft someone.

I think alot of people are thinking of Fast Willie Parker when they look at this signing, but youre missing that the reason he lost his job and no one wants him is because he's not so fast anymore. In which case he is just Willie Parker with no special abilities. I'll pass.

Same here. Parker turns 30 this fall, and he's lost the speed that made him thousand-yard 'back from '05 to '07. I think it's clear that a second or third round runner has the potential to bring more to the table now and in the future, but depending on whom you're looking at, you may be able to say the same thing about some later round guys as well.

[bruce4life]

Any solid veterans we could bring in is helpful the furthering helping our ballclub fellas. Lets face it we need to sprinkle in some veterans too!

[eldfan]

I'd go with the short term fix because we have more positions where we are more dire need of a long term fix WR, QB, TE, DL, WLB to name a few.

I feel the same way. I think it would be good. We need someone to spell SJ so if the rams can solve that problem in FA they can draft to fill the many holes that need to be solved.

[Ramblin` Ram]

although i realise we would like somebody to compliment Jax like a Best or Mathews ...what we really need from a number 2 RB is just somebody who can carry the rock and take some of the hits away from our elite number 1...further down the road we will need to draft somebody who can back up SJ and be groomed to take over from him but at this point..we need a TE starter,number 1 WR,a QB,DE`s,RT & OLB`s.. more than we need a young RB.
so if we do draft one i hope its not before the second 5th rounder...which leaves the question..are there likely to be better RB options at or after the second 5th rounder than Parker?

i dont think anyone is foolish enough to think we will be getting the Fast Willie Parker who set the NFL alight a few years back (he wouldnt have been available if he was) ..
but with say 6-10 carries per game he could be decent behind an improved line,that arguably is better than the one he`s played behind the last few years. it could be that after the broken leg,knee injury and then last seasons turf toe..that he hasnt yet hit the RB wall but has just been slowed by those injuries and is getting his fitness back..i have seen some steelers fan say that he was showing signs of improvement during the latter stages of last season..

aslong as he `s relatively cheap i think he`s worth a gamble on...and would save us a draft pick to be used for a potential starter at other positions that dont already have a player of Jacksons calibre taking the lions share of the snaps.

[39thebeast]

although i realise we would like somebody to compliment Jax like a Best or Mathews ...what we really need from a number 2 RB is just somebody who can carry the rock and take some of the hits away from our elite number 1...further down the road we will need to draft somebody who can back up SJ and be groomed to take over from him but at this point..we need a TE starter,number 1 WR,a QB,DE`s,RT & OLB`s.. more than we need a young RB.
so if we do draft one i hope its not before the second 5th rounder...which leaves the question..are there likely to be better RB options at or after the second 5th rounder than Parker?

i dont think anyone is foolish enough to think we will be getting the Fast Willie Parker who set the NFL alight a few years back (he wouldnt have been available if he was) ..
but with say 6-10 carries per game he could be decent behind an improved line,that arguably is better than the one he`s played behind the last few years. it could be that after the broken leg,knee injury and then last seasons turf toe..that he hasnt yet hit the RB wall but has just been slowed by those injuries and is getting his fitness back..i have seen some steelers fan say that he was showing signs of improvement during the latter stages of last season..

aslong as he `s relatively cheap i think he`s worth a gamble on...and would save us a draft pick to be used for a potential starter at other positions that dont already have a player of Jacksons calibre taking the lions share of the snaps.

I agree 100%. The uncapped year has forced our FA strategy to get veteran depth and get young starters in the draft. IMO in this deep draft picks 1 through 3 and possibly pick 4 should be starters. Regardless what RB your picking they aren't starting over the second best back in the league and they wont be getting a ton of carries either. I'd rather come out of the first 3 rounds with a Starter at QB, TE/WR, and on the DL.

I'd bring Parker in and bring a fast guy in the later rounds like Dej Karim out of Southern Illinois. Getting my Mel Kiper on there

[Bralidore(RAMMODE)]

I think a few people here are underestimating the impact of a young gamebreaker like a Jahvid Best. Remember Chris Johnson in his rookie year and what it did for that team with him and White alternating carries?

We need a guy who defenses fear to get the rock on tosses and outside play, regardless of how good Jackson is, they know he can be shut down if you stack the box.

Keeping Jackson fresh all year to me IS a TOP priority on par with filling some of these holes we have, though maybe not as much as Quarterback naturally. Imagine a runningattack that featured a continuous pounding of fresh backs that aren't tired or worn down. combine that with an effective playaction and in theory, that should be hell for opposing defenses if the PA is sold correctly and the playcalling is unperdictable enough.

If we don't draft Best or someone with that kind of impact in the runninggame this year than I'd rather keep what we have and give them a more expanded role in the offense. We need more playmakers on the offense and if we can't find that in the later rounds we shouldn't even bother.

[Ramblin` Ram]

i understand that we need somebody other than Jax to carry the ball and all that another explosive RB "could" bring..just think with so many holes at the starter positions..we cant afford to spend a high pick on a Best or whoever to play back up...even if that back up would get 10-15 carries a game.. we can spread it out between cheaper back ups.

theres just too many more pressing holes to fill with high picks. IMHO the first 4 or 5 picks should go to QB,TE,DE,OLB,RT.perhaps a Number 1 wideout...with the B.P.A at those positions when we pick to decide what order those positions are filled in.

theres just too many holes in the roster to fill every position with long term solutions..so we need to fill the starter roles through our draft picks (with our high picks atleast) and then add depth with cheap vets and late picks...i wouldnt rule out getting a steal at the second 5th round pick or beyond..theres been plenty of good RB`s taken in that range.

[39thebeast]

I think a few people here are underestimating the impact of a young gamebreaker like a Jahvid Best. Remember Chris Johnson in his rookie year and what it did for that team with him and White alternating carries?

We need a guy who defenses fear to get the rock on tosses and outside play, regardless of how good Jackson is, they know he can be shut down if you stack the box.

Keeping Jackson fresh all year to me IS a TOP priority on par with filling some of these holes we have, though maybe not as much as Quarterback naturally. Imagine a runningattack that featured a continuous pounding of fresh backs that aren't tired or worn down. combine that with an effective playaction and in theory, that should be hell for opposing defenses if the PA is sold correctly and the playcalling is unperdictable enough.

If we don't draft Best or someone with that kind of impact in the runninggame this year than I'd rather keep what we have and give them a more expanded role in the offense. We need more playmakers on the offense and if we can't find that in the later rounds we shouldn't even bother.

1. Lendale White nowhere near Steven Jackson, Did he even get any caries this year.

2. Since when is steven Jackson ineffective on toss plays and plays on the outside. He may not have Chris Johnson speed, but he is plenty fast.

3. Can you really stop Steven Jackson when the box is stacked? He faced plenty of that last year still was number 2 in the league in rushing. They will still stack the box with Best in the backfield to if you have no threats in the passing game. The easiest way to avoid a stacked box is to get some threats in the passing game and thats where I think the Rams could better use a 2nd or 3rd rounder.

4. I agree you want him to be fresh. I think a vet like Willie Parker gives you just as many quality backup carries that you need. You would expect a high second rounder to offer alot more on a team like this. On this team all we need is an Adrian Peterson Chester Taylor type of backfield split. Am I spending a high second on Chester Taylor with all of our needs? IMO no way.

5. No one will disagree that we need playmakers. I'm just saying in the earlier rounds it will be more usefull to find playmakers at TE or WR where we are lacking much more than we are at RB. I don't understand why we need someone with a huge impact on the running game when we have Steven Jackson. Im not saying give S-Jax 30 caries a game. I just say get a guy who can take 6-10 caries away from. S-Jax is still the focal point and the dynamic part of this run game and offense in general we don't need another dynamic running back we just need a guy to take some of the load off